The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

Outstanding documentary dealing with the trials and tribulations of making this 1939 monumental pictures.

There were plenty of problems in production, casting,etc. Who knew that Paulette Goddard came so close to playing Scarlett O'Hara or that Jeffrey Lynn was so inadequate in the role of Ashley Wilkes?

Made at the time that Hitler and Mussolini were menacing Europe, there is plenty of backstage gossip.

David O. Selznick was a brilliant producer. His on screen disagreements with famed director George Cukor led to the latter leaving the film.

The writing of Margaret Mitchell's classic book for motion picture viewing was memorably discussed.

It was wonderful seeing many of the cast members participate in this wonderful documentary.

Hattie McDaniel's supporting Oscar's acceptance speech must serve as an inspiration to us all. Like so many in the memorable cast, she left us way too young.

Regardless of how one feels about the epic movie that serves as its subject, this documentary is a very valuable lesson in the difficulties of film production itself. I rated it higher than the actual film, which might make David O. Selznick turn in his grave. While I very much like the first half of the actual film, I feel that the final two hours don't succeed in sustaining the intense drama and visual spectacle of the first two.

This documentary served to enhance greatly my understanding of and appreciation for the film production that it describes. I very much respect Mr. Selznick for his determination to see the monumental project to its end. I never realized before that a producer could become so emotionally attached and even obsessed by a production. Until seeing this, I always believed that producers were cold, calculating businesspeople who only saw value in the potential profit of a film rather than in its artistic merit. This film proves that I was wrong.

In addition to my gained appreciation for the producer, while I valued many of the cast members who appeared in front of the camera, most notably Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, and Butterfly McQueen, among others, I also learned to value the substantial contribution of the following individuals who stood behind the camera and out of the limelight: Jack Cosgrove for his impressive special photographic effects, William Cameron Menzies for his production design, including his legendary sketch boards, and, finally, Sidney Howard and Ben Hecht for their respective roles in developing the screenplay. What especially impressed me was Selznick's commitment and phenomenal stamina in seeing the film production to its end.

I also enjoyed glimpses of the various takes of the many competitors for the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara. I won't list all of the possible Scarletts here, but Paulette Goddard, the favorite, must have been very disappointed when British actress Vivien Leigh, who had only appeared in minor roles of a few unremarkable films before, was chosen for the lead to the surprise of many. It was a brilliant decision as the special radiance and technical ability of Leigh added to the overall visual appeal of the film.

I was fascinated by this documentary as it reveals so many of the daunting challenges that could have prevented the movie from being made at all. It truly enabled me to appreciate the epic film much more than ever before, and David Hinton, the director, is to be commended for his outstanding effort. Thankfully, the documentary is only half the duration of the film itself and never disappointed me as the second half of the actual film did. Even if you don't love "Gone With the Wind", you should see this in order to learn about film production and about the rewards of perseverance and hard work.

David O. Selznik, one of the most successful producers in the Hollywood of the 1930s, probably never considered what he was getting into, when he decided to bring Margaret Mitchell's massive novel, "Gone with the Wind", to the movies. The monumental task to recreate the book, which was a favorite among the American public of the era, was not an easy, or a happy undertaking by Mr. Selznik, or the people that were involved in the project.

David Hinton's documentary, which was shown by TCM recently, is a gem of a film because it gives a fantastic account of all that went on to make the film. "Gone with the Wind" stories have been told forever, or so it seems, yet, in the documentary they are examined thoroughly again by a lot of Mr. Selznik's collaborators who were still around in 1989 to tell the story.

The best thing in "Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind" is the footage where many stars were tested for the leading roles. The characters of the book were coveted by most of the actors of the time because they realized the importance about appearing in it would mean to their careers. We see actors of the stature of Jean Arthur, Joan Bennett, Tallulah Bankhead, among the ones that wanted to contribute to the movie, yet, they were not chosen.

David O. Selznik comes across as a disorganized genius who had no idea about what he was doing. His memos to the cast and crew were something not to be believed. Some people resented this way of communication. His battle with George Cukor is also told and how Victor Fleming, who by all accounts was not the perfect candidate, came to be the one that was able to complete the picture.

There are some excellent comments, especially from Ann Rutherford and Evelyn Keyes, who explain what they saw while the film was in production. Some others also come on to tell us their view about what the film changed their lives and the experience of having worked with a mad man who was so intent in getting the movie done. It's a good thing this film was done during the 1930s because it would probably had cost more than 200 million in today's dollars! Thanks to director David Hinton this epic movie is examined and put in its proper context to help the viewer understand the way Hollywood worked during the time it decided to convert the book into a movie.

Good documentary about the perils and rewards of film making. I like how it puts the true auteur of this famous, if controversial, work, producer David O Selznick, at the center of the story. It shows that the guy possessed the three qualities that all great producers must have, namely boundless energy and determination and an ability, shared by successful baseball managers and high school principals, to properly evaluate one's personnel. For example, a lesser producer would have gone with the proven, safe choices of either Joan Bennett or Paulette Godard as Scarlett and they would have been fine and the film most likely would have done quite well. But it wouldn't have been an iconic performance as is Ms. Leigh's and the film would have been merely good rather than great which, despite its mirroring noxious mid century racial attitudes, it is, largely owing to Ms. Leigh's matchless ability to inhabit the body, mind and soul of one of the most fascinatingly ambiguous characters in Hollywood film history.

A couple caveats. Like an earlier reviewer I found Christopher Plummer's narration borderline annoying; needlessly cheeky and at times mumblingly unintelligible. A more serious criticism is that for a documentary about the making of GWTW made in 1988 director David Hinton and writer David Thomson puzzlingly neglect the importance of Hattie McDaniel's pathbreaking and magnificent performance as a counterweight to the offensive prejudices that are, regrettably, central to this work.

Bottom line: Doesn't make me want to watch the movie again but it drove me to google Selznick. Give it a B plus.

This is perhaps the best 'making of' documentary I have ever seen. This is incredibly impressive considering the gap of almost 50 years between the debut of "Gone With The Wind" and this documentary. Usually, the longer the interval between films, the less thorough the making of film is--but this is not the case here, as the film is approximately two hours long. Now most of the actors involved in making the original were either dead or declined to participate, yet this didn't hurt the film because there was so much tremendous background material that kept it all interesting from start to finish. The narration by Christopher Plummer was lovely, the few guest appearances were very nice and the gobs of wonderful hidden gems (such as showing the scenes with and without the matte paintings) make this come alive. If you love "Gone With The Wind", then you must see this film made for Turner Classic Movies---it will keep your interest from start to finish and have you marvel at how all the pieces actually came together. See this film!